Up In Flames
by Enderdeath731
Summary: The sequel to 'A Sense' - AntVenom has been trapped by a fire and things spiral out of his control. He encounters an enemy who has dedicated his whole life to killing people with a power called 'The Sense'. With the help of someone else with The Sense, can AntVenom defeat this enemy? Or will it all go up in flames?


**Welcome back, Enderdeath here! Today is the day 'Up In Flames', the sequel to 'A Sense' has appeared on Fanfiction. But I guess you'd already know that since you obviously had to click on this story, and before that, read the summary. So let's start off with a few side notes/disclaimers. **FIRST: This is about the YouTuber AntVenom, and I may get some facts wrong, or have screwed up his personality. I try to make my stories as accurate as possible, but since I haven't even watched half of AntVenom's videos, I will probably get something wrong at some point or another. Please let me know if I do get something wrong, because I will try to fix it. SECOND: This story takes place two years from now, so in two years time, don't assume all this information is accurate. THIRD: **All of the YouTubers mentioned are real YouTubers,** **therefore, I own none of them, or Minecraft, or anything else I mention in this story. In fact, the only thing in this story that no one else can claim is my character. Okay, let the story commence!****  
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Up in flames

A loud rumble filled my ears, and I whipped around, momentarily forgetting about the man who had run into the hall. My heart stopped as I saw the door frame had collapsed, cutting me off from any outside access. I was surrounded by fire. To my left, the walls were covered in the fire, with a narrow pathway in between. I wondered if I could possibly run through the walkway without getting burned, but as the sparks settled around my feet, I decided it was probably the best choice. I ran farther into the school where the fire wasn't quite as intense, but the smoke had gathered thickly. I coughed, tripping on a smoldering piece of wood as I did so. I fell flat on the tiled floor, still coughing. I dragged myself forwards, obeying my instinct to get far away. I felt the heat grow more, and so did my urgency to escape. I stood up shakily and tried to run, but I was growing weaker by the second. I fell again, and my shoulder banged against a doorknob. I looked at the doorknob and grabbed it, using it to pull myself up. It had a window set in the middle of the door, and instead of a classroom, I saw a dark closet; most likely the janitor's closet. I turned the doorknob and surprisingly, it was unlocked. I opened the metal door and darted inside, closing the door behind me. Once inside, I sat down on the floor, my back against the wall.

The air held no trace of smoke, and I started feeling better not long after I had come inside. I could see the fire trying to burn the door, but it couldn't burn metal. Now that I was relatively safe, I started thinking about what Makayla had said about someone starting the fire intentionally. She had suggested that the person could've been our enemy. We both had senses sharper than a typical person's, but I couldn't figure out why someone would want to kill us. Just then, I felt cold metal pressed against my throat.

"Don't move a muscle," I heard a man's voice hiss. It sounded vaguely familiar - as it was the man who had run out of the auditorium! I felt all the blood drain out of my face, but I couldn't see one single thing in the dark room. All I could do was remain still, attempt to keep calm, and hope that I wouldn't be murdered. Looking at the current situation though, it didn't seem too likely I'd escape unscathed.

"Who are you?" I asked slowly, and ever so carefully. The metal object pressed harder against my throat and I tensed.

"You don't need to know that right now. All you need to know is that I am your enemy," the man growled. "And do you want to know why I'm your enemy? Because people like you and that - that _girl,_" The man spat out the word with such hatred, I flinched. "Are a threat to people like me. You have The Sense, and I have The Fear. Our jobs are to stop the other group from eliminating them, but seeing as only two untrained fools have The Sense, I think that we both know who will win this age-long war." I couldn't see his face, but I imagined the man smiling cruelly as I was trapped.

"How many people have The Fear?" I asked, remembering my favorite strategy. Stall. Just keep them talking. It's a good distraction, and it could save my life. However, I wasn't sure that was the case this time as the pressure lifted slightly from my throat.

"You can't say your blood is on my hands," The man hissed. I felt the metal lift away from my throat, but just as quickly it came crashing down on my head. My vision swam and I could barely distinguish the blurred shape of the man as he crouched down next to me. "Hold this for me, would you?" He shoved something into my hand, and then vanished from my sight. I didn't know how he disappeared so suddenly, but I could hear a faint ticking sound. At first, I just thought it was just my head throbbing, then I realized it was the object in my hand. I turned my head slowly and saw a small, silver, cylinder about four inches long resting in my hand. I was pretty sure it was a time bomb. I needed to get rid of the thing right now, but I was still too disoriented to stand. The only thing I could do really was move my arms and think – but even my ability to do that was being dulled by the second. That meant I'd have to move fast if I wanted to survive.

I tried to think of an idea that would ensure my survival, but I only had one thought; _get away from the bomb_. I suppose it wasn't a bad thought to have in this situation, but at the moment, it was less than helpful. Since my mind was blank, save for that idea, I decided to go with my instinct. I mustered up all of my arm strength, and I hurled the bomb in the direction of the door. I dragged myself to the opposite side of the closet, and when I felt my fingers bump into something hard, I stopped. I was practically blind, and I could only hear the bomb ticking and the fire crackling faintly.

That's when my world became an inferno.

I was thrown back against the wall as the bomb exploded, releasing an unfathomable power. All the air turned into pure heat as a small area around the bomb was completely incinerated. The fiery explosion receded almost as soon as it had started, leaving everything around it charred and smoking. By some miracle, I was still alive and light was streaming in from the outside. I had closed my eyes, but I could hear many people screaming, and more sirens wailing. I lay still as ashes settled around me, not having the strength to move any further. I heard footsteps approaching quickly, but I remained still, my arms numb.

"Taylor!" I heard someone scream. I recognized the voice as Makayla's, and I wanted to tell her it was all right. But I knew that even if I could speak, I would be telling a lie. Someone had just tried to kill us, and he had almost succeeded too. Then I felt someone pull on my arm, and I heard Makayla whisper, "Wake up Taylor. You need to get up."

I opened my eyes with a groan, staring at Makayla's determined face. "You're not blacking out on me," she said through gritted teeth. I sat up, trying to block out the wave of dizziness I felt.

"You – you were right. Someone was trying to kill us," I murmured, my vision clearing. My head throbbed less, but that did nothing for the terror that was building up inside of me. I could have easily died in that explosion, and our enemy would have had his way. Makayla looked up, staring at something over my head, and her gaze darkened. I turned to see what she was looking at and saw none other than the man who had nearly killed me.

"What do you want?" Makayla growled, glaring at the man. The man chuckled, but I wasn't fooled. The evil glint in his eyes was enough to confirm any doubts that I might have had that he was an enemy.

"No need to be hostile. Your friend survived, didn't he?" The man talked smoothly as if trying to persuade Makayla that she could trust him. Luckily, she didn't appear convinced in the slightest.

"I almost didn't survive," I shot back, trying to scramble onto my feet. I didn't tear my eyes away from the man for a single second. He seemed amused at our anger, and he started walking towards us slowly with that manic smile on his face.

"Stay away from us," Makayla said fiercely, and the man stopped in his tracks.

"Fine," he snapped, his smile vanishing, "I was going to be merciful and end your life quickly, but I guess you don't want that. You don't even know what's going on, do you?"

"I know enough to realize you are a threat to mine and Taylor's survival because we are different from the rest," Makayla spoke bravely, without a trace of hesitation.

"Well, maybe you aren't quite as stupid as I had first thought," The man sounded genuinely impressed and I felt fresh hatred rise up. "Perhaps I should educate you on the ways of the Sense." My vision clouded and I tried to back away. "Relax," said the man, invisible now through the clouds of swirling fog, "It's just a hallucination. There's a chance you won't die."

A chance I won't die. Very reassuring.

I heard someone move beside me, and I turned to see Makayla with terror in her eyes. "I hate it when I can't tell what's going on around me," she breathed, so softly I almost couldn't hear her. I felt her fear as if it was my own, but I tried to remain calm for both of us. Then the fog parted and I saw a misty figure walk past, not even acknowledging us. It dawned on me that we weren't really there and it was as the man had said; a hallucination.

"Good came from Evil, uninvited and unwelcome," I jumped, hearing a raspy voice close to me, but I couldn't turn my head to see who was speaking. The shadowy form in front of us solidified into a young man, perhaps twenty or so, with black hair cut short. His gray-blue eyes seemed to burn right into me, and with a shock, I realized that this was the man who claimed to have The Fear.

"Ms. Hewett," the man said solemnly, turning his head to face a young woman who had appeared from the fog. She was quite pretty, with long light brown hair and a dazzling smile.

"Devin, you've known me for almost four years now, and you know my name is Sakhira," the lady laughed lightly. "You don't need to be formal."

"Of course, Sakhira," Devin said, not moving. "Forgive me."

Sakhira frowned slightly, "Dev, you haven't been the same since your grandfather died. It's not just mourning like your parents claim. I know it's something more than that. Please, let me help you. Remember when we were friends?" Devin avoided her gaze, staring at something in his hand. I tried to see what it looked like, but the image was blurred and I couldn't distinguish anything.

"I have no friends. Not anymore," Devin murmured. Sakhira looked hurt, and opened her mouth to say something, but Devin cut her off. "You're one of _them_, Sakhira. I am your enemy. Do you realize that?"

She stared at him in confusion, and Devin chuckled. "I guess you didn't know. Well let me explain. You see, a long time ago, two friends were walking in the woods. They saw a mouse run across their path, and a few seconds later, a hawk dived down where its prey had been a heartbeat before. 'Look,' said the first friend, 'that mouse knew the hawk was coming to kill it.' 'Yes,' said the second friend, 'and the hawk's mission was to kill it so it could survive.' 'I want to be like the mouse,' said the first friend, 'with the ability to sense danger before it arrives.' The second friend countered, 'I want to be like the hawk, able to kill to survive.' After that day, the friends didn't speak to or look at each other for five years. When they finally met again, both had trained and both were different than they had been five years before. The first friend could sense things no one else could, and the second friend had a thirst for blood that drove him to live on. The first friend sensed that the second friend was now evil and wanted to kill him. They argued, and before long they were at war. Neither friend could kill the other, but for generations, their powers were passed down. For example, you are like the first friend, with the ability to sense danger. And I am like the second friend, with a desire to kill you and seek revenge. Now do you understand?"

Sakhira started backing away, terrified as Devin started laughing cruelly. The fog closed in again as the woman's scream shattered the air.

I blinked, finding myself back in the real world, with the man I now knew as Devin right in front of me. I felt the tip of a knife just barely dig into my neck and I lifted my head instinctively, my brown eyes locked with Devin's intense gray-blue.

We stared at each other for several seconds and I started to get nervous again. I couldn't see if Makayla was beside me anymore, and little by little, the knife was puncturing my skin.

"Stop," I heard someone command. Devin turned his head, not taking the knife down. I saw Makayla standing a little ways away, with her weapon of choice in hand. I really hoped she knew how to use that brick like a professional.

Devin was clearly amused and his chuckle sent shivers up my spine. I felt a flash of defiance and while the man in front of me was distracted, I took the opportunity to back away carefully, trying not to alert him of any movement. I met Makayla's eyes for half a second, and then she fixed her gaze on Devin.

"I understand now, that you are as deadly as a hawk. But do not mistake us for timid mice," Makayla spoke boldly. "While you were given the desire to kill, we have the wits to survive." As she was talking, I was able to retreat a few paces from the blade. Devin still didn't notice, but he was no longer smiling.

"You have no training. All you can do is tell when something dangerous is going to happen. I'll bet you didn't even know you could do that much before today," Devin sneered, but Makayla remained steely calm.

"Wrong. I knew I was different and suspected Taylor was too," Makayla didn't tear her eyes away from Devin. "You're also wrong about me having no training. I trained myself, maybe not in the best way you could ever hope for, but I know how to play a strategy." Devin caught the hint and whipped around, but I had retreated to a safe distance, and had picked up a triangular shaped rock for my own makeshift dagger.

"Stay away," I warned, grasping my rock more tightly. Devin didn't hesitate in attacking, and he seemed to lunge forwards with the speed of a tiger.

My reaction was a heartbeat too slow. I was knocked to the ground and I felt a sudden, fiery pain strike my left arm. I yelled, half in a haze of pain, trying to punch Devin with my rock, but my vision was blurred and my aim was horrible. I felt a warm, wet liquid slide down my arm and I tried not to look at the cut. The pain resonated throughout my whole body and I gritted my teeth.

I saw a red blur and a brick flew through the air, narrowly missing my knee, but striking Devin hard in the shoulder. He disappeared out my line of sight, but by his muffled grunt of pain, I knew he had also been injured.

"Get up!" Makayla ran over to me and helped me to my feet. I was careful not to move my left arm too much, but by the looks of it, Devin had come off worse than I had. He was lying unmoving on the ground, still very much alive, but his right shoulder was at a sickening angle. His eyes were closed and his breaths came short and rapid.

I couldn't help but feel a rush of pity. Even though I knew this man was trying to kill us, I didn't want to see any person in such pain. A drop of rain landed on my hand and I flinched. I wasn't expecting to start raining right then, but when I looked up at the clouds, they were dark and heavy thunderheads.

The rain didn't take long to start falling in a thick sheet, and almost instantly, I was soaking wet. I looked around for cover and the closest place I saw was under a tall pine tree. We ran for the tree, standing close to the trunk so as to block out most of the rain. Devin remained lying in the open, the ground around him turned to mud. Makayla and I watched as the rain pounded against his shape, slicking his dark hair to his forehead.

Apparently neither of us felt any desire to bring him out of the rain.

"Where did everyone else go? Before we saw the hallucination there were hundreds of people out front," I asked, just now noticing that it was only us three in front of the school. A thick mist obscured the parking lot, but the air was silent except for the quiet patter of raindrops. Besides, the rain wasn't falling fast enough to create mist…

"The Fear," Makayla whispered, "Could it have done this? I don't know what else could make this happen."

"Maybe," I agreed, glancing over my shoulder nervously. I wasn't normally this paranoid, but then again, I wasn't normally in this situation. I turned my gaze to where Devin was lying, seeking reassurance that I was safe from him.

Except that Devin wasn't lying on the ground anymore. The slight outline in the mud showed where he had been but was no longer. Surely there was no way he had gotten up without us noticing.

"Makayla," I muttered, "Where's Devin?" The girl turned to look at where Devin had previously been. She turned back to me and shrugged.

"I don't know, but I don't think he's given up the hunt and gone home for a cup of hot chocolate," Makayla said grimly. "Watch your back." I nodded, scanning the edges of the fog. Was it just my imagination or was the fog creeping closer?

"I feel like I'm being watched," Makayla murmured, shuffling her feet nervously.

"We probably are," I told, not even trying to be sarcastic. I was attempting to focus on my surroundings, and I felt my instinct tell me to look to my left. I looked to my left and saw a vague human figure steadily darkening as it drew closer. As it cleared the line of fog, I noticed its arm hanging at an awkward angle.

"Devin," I growled, alerting Makayla to our not-so-much of a friend. She turned to face where he had emerged from the heavy fog. She narrowed her eyes and stepped out into the rain that was gradually growing harder. Thunder rumbled ominously, and Devin also stepped forwards. I tensed, adrenaline making me momentarily forget about the pulsing pain in my arm.

"One step closer and your other shoulder will be dislocated," I threatened. Devin laughed coldly, a steely glint in his eyes.

"You think I need two good arms to kill you? You're already unnerved!" Devin smiled, "And I'm just getting started!"

"You're trying to distract us. We've got a single goal in mind – to stop you. You can't divert our attention from that," I spoke confidently, all traces of doubt fading away. Makayla stood by my side, head lifted in a challenging way. Even though she was young, I had to admit, she was a good ally.

Devin's manic grin didn't fade. "What if I did this?" His form seemed to blur into multiple shapes. I blinked and felt my confidence drain away. Like the mirror houses at amusement parks, Devin had created multiple versions of himself and surrounded us. Only instead of harmless mirrors, this was real.

"Which one?" I whispered under my breath, staring around at the dozens of deadly illusions. Defying any logic, the illusions began to arm themselves with sharp stones, bricks shards, and heavy, club-like branches. I didn't fancy being struck with any of those natural weapons. The illusions could be mistaken for real people but I felt pretty sure that if I were to poke one with a stick, it would go right through him. They were made of mist, solid enough to hold weapons, but trying to kill one would be ineffective.

"Choose," The voice echoed from the ring of illusions and I couldn't identify the source. The illusions' eyes cut right through me, boring into my skin and making it hard to concentrate.

"Look for differences. Subtle movements, anything," Makayla whispered to me. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on one at a time. One moved his arm and I turned my attention to him. He met my eyes steadily, not wavering or showing any emotion. I felt something inside me scream that this was the real Devin. I nudged Makayla and she looked at me, then at the suspected real Devin.

"Only one way to find out," She shrugged, picking up a medium length stick. She hurled it at the possible Devin, nicking his cheek. He flinched and the other 'Devin's' flickered, quickly fading into small pillars of mist.

"Do you play softball or something? Your throwing arm is on point," I praised Makayla.

"I only bowl. Now stop distracting me," she half-smiled, not taking her eyes off of Devin for a split second. The killer stalked forwards, smooth as a tiger with its eyes set on its prey.

"Think you're clever, do you? How about we test your bravery?" Devin sneered. Makayla whimpered in fear and I glanced at her, a bit shocked. She had kept a calm composure in the auditorium and I didn't expect her to be scared of anything. I silently reprimanded myself. I of all people should know that everyone has limits. Whether they choose to show it is another matter.

"We can defeat him," I tried to reassure Makayla and she nodded, not looking reassured at all. I faced Devin and my heart leaped to my throat. Where he had been standing was a snarling black-furred beast. It was the size of a motorcycle with short legs, close to ground. Flames that were resistant to the rain flickered through its matted fur, not bothering it at all, and its eyes were empty pits of fire. It snarled, showing long sharp fangs, and even from yards away I could smell its rotten breath. I tried not to think about why it would have breath like that.

"Is – I think that's a hellhound," Makayla said, trembling. She grabbed another branch, this time heftier than the stick. "I'm not playing fetch with you," she called to the hound, "At least not with this stick. We can play fetch with your teeth if you like."

The hellhound snarled and started advancing forwards, slowly and deliberately. I grabbed my own branch-club, standing shoulder to shoulder with Makayla. All the times I had played the Survival Games in Minecraft started racing through my head and I tried to think of a strategy that would work in the real world. There were two of us, so that was an advantage right there. The problem was, I was pretty sure the hellhound could move quickly if it wanted to.

Which meant right now it was building up the suspense for our imminent death as it paced ever closer.

Weaknesses, I thought. What are its weaknesses? Its legs are close to the ground. That will restrict swift movements. It has to weigh quite a lot so that will slow it down. And as it walked, I noticed a slight limp on its right front leg.

"It's slow but powerful," I reported the gist of my observations to Makayla, who nodded in agreement. The beast snarled and without anymore hesitation, leapt at us, bounding swiftly over the ground like a stocky, overweight deer.

I had less time to prepare for the attack than I initially thought. I sidestepped, swung my branch and completely missed its head by several inches. It made a snarling sound that could have been considered laughing at my failed attack. However, its laugh turned into a throaty yelp as Makayla's branch connected with the side of its head. It switched its attention to the girl and her eyes widened in terror. She backed up, fear etched on her face as the hellhound matched her step for step. I followed, staying quiet. The hound's knotted muscles would block any hits from the side and where the scruff was, the skin was too thick to penetrate softer flesh.

I looked at Makayla, her eyes still wide with fright. Eyes. If I could jab the hellhound in the eyes...

I looked straight at Makayla and pointed to her branch, then my eyes. She blinked, getting the message. I held up three fingers and counted down from three to one.

We lunged at the same time, Makayla from the front and I from behind. The hound howled in agony as the sharp ends of our branches dug into its fiery eyes. It lashed out, tearing Makayla's jeans but she only dug her branch in harder. Its wailing subsided to constant whimpering and from there, a low moan. I stepped back, releasing my branch and letting it fall to the ground. Makayla also retreated a few paces, dragging her branch away from the hound. It pawed at its eyes, which were reduced to a bloody pulp of flesh and tissue, but I felt little regret.

The hellhound's shape flickered and I blinked, opening my eyes to Devin, curled on the ground with his hands over his eyes.

Makayla and I shared a glance and we stepped forwards as one.

"Devin Taronel, holder of the Fear, seeker of The Sense. As you have taken many lives, so will your life be taken from you," I didn't know where the words were coming from, but I recited them with fluent ease. "This mortal world rejects you, and the afterlife looks upon you with disgust. Be gone, demon inside you, be gone, host of the demon."

"Pain and suffering are yours to bear, like the pain and suffering you have caused around you," Makayla joined in, sounding more certain than ever. "Remember your misdeeds; remember your lies; remember everything that has hurt someone else and let it hurt only you."

"Die in this world. Die in the afterlife. And be alone in your misery forever," I finished the spell and watched as Devin simply crumbled to ashes that dispersed in the rain; my eyes met his and I saw pure, raw, fear in his own.

The fog lifted, and I could once again see and hear the crowd. I shifted my right arm and couldn't feel any pain. I looked at it and only saw a pale scar where my wound had been moments ago. Makayla met my eyes, and I couldn't tell whether she was about to laugh or cry.

"We did it," she said. "We defeated the Fear once and for all."

"Just your typical day," I joked. Maybe it was the relief of so much stress and tension, but we both started laughing hysterically. After a few minutes we walked back to the others, Makayla no more than a few steps behind. At the edge of the crowd we stopped and faced each other.

"Well," I started off a bit awkwardly, "Thanks for saving my life about five times these past few hours."

Makayla smiled. "Thanks for saving my life about ten times these past few hours." Her hazel eyes glimmered with gratitude.

"If you notice anything strange going on, let me know," I smiled back. "Until then, I guess it's goodbye."

Makayla nodded and vanished into the mass of people. I sighed in contentment, and seeing Rachel, wormed my way through the crowd towards her, a normal person once again.

**Well, this was 'Up In Flames!' I think this and 'A Sense' are my best works of writing so I'm very proud. Please review and tell me what you thought, and while you're at it, would you mind clicking that 'favorite' button? Maybe? No? That's all right, as long as you enjoyed it. Other than that, I guess I'll see ya'll later! Thanks so much for reading!**


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